The Mystery Behind the Girl
by sapphire blue-ruby red roses
Summary: My take on how Mai and Naru, the whole SPR team, actually first met. Their very very first case together. On a case where Mai is put in danger, who will get the pleasure of saving our little Mai? Sorta a prequel to Bloody Rose.
1. Chapter 1: The First Meeting

**Here's the first chapter of The Mystery Behind the Girl! Hope you like it.**

**For those of you who haven't read Bloody Rose, it's kind of the prequel, kinda not. You can read it without reading Bloody Rose, but it will most likely make more sense after you read Bloody Rose. Again, you don't have to read it if you do not wish to (:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt.**

Chapter 1: The First Meeting

"Thank you for all taking time out of your busy schedules to help us with our problem. Now, I realize that some of you may not know why I have asked you here. We have a spiritual problem. The family members of this house will become possessed and when they do they become increasingly violent. Just a week ago, one of the other family members was murdered. We hope that you will help us solve this problem quickly before someone else is hurt, or worse, killed," a man in a suit blacker then ink said, bowing to the people seated around the long table.

They all bowed in acceptance, but said nothing.

"First off, we have Hideki Hara with his daughter Masako Hara. Even though she is very young, Hara-san is a very competent medium," the man started off, indicating the two black haired people closest to him, "Then we have Mikan Hyuuga who is a priestess with her protégé Ayako Matsuzaki. Next we have Masashi Takigawa with his son Houshou Takigawa from Mount Koya…" He went on with the introductions, working his way around the table. "Next we have Ayame and Sakura Taniyama with their daughter Mai Taniyama. Last we have Luella and Martin Davis with their twins Oliver and Eugene Davis."

A titter ran like wild fire through the room. This was phenomenal! Both the Taniyamas and the Davises were in their mist. Mai watched bored from the spot she had taken up on the floor. A picture book was propped up between her knees. She could really care less about the others. What was so special about them anyway? What was so special about her own family? She really didn't understand.

The twins were whispering to each other conspiratorially. They glanced around the room, sizing up the other mediums and spiritualists. Mai watched them curiously. Suddenly, she met the eyes of one of the twins dressed in a dark blue shirt and black pants. He stared at her, his face neutral. The icy glare he had held slowly faded away from his navy blue eyes to leave confusion.

The other twin followed his brother's line of sight to land on Mai. The two whispered to each other again, glancing back at Mai every few seconds. All that time she still watched them. When the man in the suit finally left and the adults began to converse, Mai got up and went to the boys.

"What are you two whispering about?" she asked watching them closely.

The first boy's eyes quickly lost their confusion, once again replaced by the glare. "None of your business," the boy said scathingly.

"Oliver Davis-san you're not very nice," Mais said, her eyebrows scrunching together.

"And that's my problem how?" he asked, not realizing that the girl had called him by his proper name.

"Noll, the girl –Mai-chan right?- is on this case as well," Eugene reprimanded sternly before grinning at Mai, "If you don't tell the adults we'll tell you." Mai nodded. "We were talking about how we don't believe most of these mediums and spiritualists aren't real," he said."

"They're normal colored," she murmured to herself, now studying the adults.

"Huh?" the twins said in unison.

"They're normal colored unlike you two. Oliver-san is a mixture of gold and blue. Eugene-san is a greenish color. Hara-san is a pinkish color. Matsuzaki-san is a red color. Houshou Takigawa-san is a yellowy color," she said, "There are only a few colorful adults like Mama and Papa."

"You can tell who is a true spiritualist and medium?" Oliver said slowly, contemplating this new development.

Mai nodded her head. "Can't you?" she asked.

"No," they said together.

"Oh," she said perplexed.

"Mai, sweetie, have you been making friends?" Sakura asked kindly. Mai nodded eagerly up at her. "Good. We'll be sharing a room and base with their family and I don't want you to leave Oliver and Eugene's sides while in this house, understand?"

Mai nodded with a smile. "Okay Mommy!" she called happily.

"Not to be disrespectful Taniyama-san, but you aren't our mother," Oliver and Eugene said together.

"You're right, I'm not, but your parents have already agreed to the arrangements. They don't want you alone in this house either. Sorry little men, but you've lost this battle. And call me Sakura," she said with a wide grin.

The twins' jaws dropped. Then Ayame came up. "My darling little girl!" he shouted, picking Mai up and hugging her close.

"Daddy, I was talking!" Mai whined, but not fighting against her father's hold.

Ayame scrutinized the six-year-olds at his feet. Dramatically he threw his head to the side. "No, I will not allow my daughter to speak with boys. It's too soon."

"You're dream will be short lived Ayame, these two are gonna be her body guards for this case," Sakura said bluntly and then whispered something in his ear, pulverizing the big man's dreams so badly that he crumbled to the floor crying. They were obviously crocodile tears.

"How could you do this to your papa Mai?" he asked dramatically, his shoulders shaking.

Eugene and Oliver watched this faux hysterical father crush Mai in a hug. They were both stunned. Was it even possible for a family to act like this? They had no idea. They both had the urge to save the girl from the constricting hug and…something else. It roiled in the pit of their stomachs. An unknown emotion. Though they were unaware of the fact that they were feeling the same way, it was for much much different reasons.

"We have everyone's rooms ready. If you will please follow us then we will show you to your rooms," the man in the black suit from before announced, opening the doors wide.

Instantly, Ayame snapped out of his act, standing up. "Thank you, sir. Please do," he said walking over to the door with Mai riding on his shoulder.

Oliver and Eugene stared after the strange family, their jaws dragging on the ground. Martin and Luella came up behind them and smile as Sakura threw them a mischievous smirk.

…..

"Mai, we'll be back in a little bit. Stay here with Gene and Noll and practice your music," Sakura told Mai who was sitting in front of a piano. Behind Sakura stood a fretting Ayame, a curious Luella and an indifferent Martin.

Martin spoke next. "That goes for you two as well. Don't go off investigating alone. Not with anyone else either," he said, giving Noll and Gene a look that even made them nod vigorously in fear.

"Little Mai, I'd love to hear your music sometime before this case in over. I hear that you're a prodigy. Play for me later," Luella said, twiddling her fingers in a wave, "Bye-bye now. We'll see you little ones soon."

Mai blushed a bit as the door closed and she was left with the two stoic boys. Taking in a deep breath, she began her daily scales. You have to master the basics and practice every day before learning new things her teacher always told her. It wasn't long after she had started that she began to grow bored and started playing something much much more complex.

Her attention was divided between her music and the English conversation the twins were conducting at that moment. "Haven't even known each other for an hour and already they're all buddy buddy," the gloomier of the twins, Oliver/Noll, grabbed into the crook of his arm.

"Like two peas in a dang pod," Gene grumbled next as he watched Mai mover her hands over the piano keys expertly. She swayed with the movement of her hands, her eyes closed to the outside world.

"Do you think we'll ever get to do anything on this case?" Gene asked, looking away from Mai to glance at his brooding twin.

"Not likely," he said. Sighing, he stood up. "Might as well do something." He made his way over to Mai, sliding on the bench beside her.

She didn't startle, but instead brought the piece to an end. Opening her eyes, she fixed Noll with a curious stare, waiting for him to speak. Gene just watched with a confused expression from his seat across the room.

"Teach me," Noll ordered more then said or asked, but there was a slight softness to his voice that Gene knew he was only familiar with.

"What is that boy doing?" Gene thought to himself.

Mai's face lit up considerably. She nodded enthusiastically, beginning to explain. "This key here is the middle. It lines up with this key hole and has the note name C. This is where you're supposed to sit…"

Naru nodded, placing his fingers where he was told. He was intent on the lesson that he didn't notice the slow grin that crept onto his twin's face. Gene understood what was happening, but he wondered idly if Noll understood what was happening.

It wasn't till thirty minutes after Mai had begun her condensed lessons did she begin to nod off. Her eyes were drooping and she was leaning toward the keyboard, only her hands keeping her up. She fell sideways onto Oliver's shoulder, sleeping soundly. Noll let her sleep and kept practicing, telling himself it was something to do. If he only knew how wrong he was.

**There you have it. Hope you liked it. I hope to see you all in the next chapter :D**


	2. Chapter 2: A Rude Awakening

**I am so so so so so very sorry for the late update. I was planning on putting it up Saturday, but it wasn't done that day and I was reading The Hunger Games so I was waaaaaay distracted. I hope to have the next chappy up by Thursday or Friday. Wish me luck! *crosses fingers***

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt**

Chapter 2: A Rude Awakening

A cellphone stashed away in Gene's pocket began to ring annoyingly. "Hello?" he asked as he flipped it open and pressed it to his ear.

"Gene? Looks like we'll be here longer than we expected. It's late and you guys shouldn't stay up. Go back to the room. Take Mai with you. She's sharing a bed with the two of you. It's a full so you'll have enough room to all fit comfortably," Martin spoke quickly into the phone, yelling something muffled at someone in the room with him. In the background Gene could hear a boy screaming bloody murder. The scream was so loud that even Oliver heard it on the other side of the room.

"Alright Dad, be careful," he told Martin before snapping the cell shut, depositing it back in his pocket and turning to his brother, "Time to go back to the room. Dad says they'll be longer than he expected and we should just go to bed."

"Alright," Noll said, looking sidelong at the girl clinging gently to him. He got up and slowly laid Mai down on the bench. He straightened his clothes before easily picking her up piggy back style. "Let's go then. I don't want to find those other mediums and spiritualists. Especially those other kids."

Luck was obviously not on his side that day. The moment they stepped through the door, they were confronted with a fighting pair. The girl was about eleven-years-old and the boy was about thirteen-years-old. It was the monk and the miko.

Their eyes landed on the three youngsters, their fight instantly forgotten. "Oh look, it's the little Davis brats and Taniyama girl," the flame-haired miko commented watching them like a hawk as they tried to inch their way around the two.

"Hey, you're a brat too. They're only a couple years younger than you," said the blonde-haired monk.

"That goes for you too you stupid monk. Just because you're a teenager doesn't mean you're all that," she growled at him.

Noll glared up at the two. "Get out of the way," he snarled in irritation.

"Oh look, the little Davis brat wants us to get out of his way. How do you ask little boy?" she asks in an overly sweet voice.

"We're not gonna move unless you say please little boy," Houshou said next with a mischievous grin.

Gene stepped in front of Oliver before his glare actually began to kill. "If you keep taunting him like that he'll start biting you. It's not very fun I assure you, unless you like it that way. I suggest you two lovebirds got find a room first, before you start to discover those things," he told them with a wide smile. Even at age seven, Gene was a master pervert. Does something seem wrong with that picture or is it just me?

"We are not lovebirds!" the pair shouted together, their faces bursting into a blush as deep red as Ayako's hair.

"That's not how I see it," Gene called over his shoulder as he bustled down the hall with Noll and Mai in tow. When the hell had he gotten past them anyway?

"Well you see it wrong!" they screamed at the top of their lungs at him.

…..

_Mai stood in her black void per usual. She waited patiently for her dream to be set into motion. Little did she know that a black clad boy was waiting for the same thing also ignorant to her presence._

_Slowly, the mansion filled in around the two. They stood in a large room. A man stood in the middle of what looked like a study, his eyes wild with fear. He backed quickly against a wall as loud banging emanated from the door. It bowed in with the force of the blows._

"_Hiroku!" screamed the angry voices of whatever was causing such a deformation to the door._

_The man whimpered in fear. His eyes darted around the room frantically searching for a way out to no avail. Then the door gave out, crashing to the ground, and the crowd rushed in. They were all snarling and mad with rage._

_Their eyes landed on the cowering man. Instantly, they surrounded him. Pulling and jerking on his hair, ripping his clothes, they succeeded in dragging him into the middle of the room. Quickly, they surrounded him in a large circle._

"_I haven't done anything!" he wailed, trying to calm their fiery._

"_As if we'd believe you," one female literally spit at the man, bearing her teeth. Gross._

"_You're penalty for your crime…" an official looking man announced towering over the smaller man, casting him in an inescapable shower, "…death!"_

_The man on the floor gave a long high-pitched scream, more like a shriek, that never cut off until he was dead._

_Mai watched in horror as they forced a liquid down the man's throat, making him splutter. They then proceeded to slowly skin the man and dismember him. By the end, everyone in the mob was splattered or drenched in the man's blood, exhilaration and triumph painting their faces a frightening expression._

_That was the moment that Mai decided to start wailing. Her screams broke the dream slamming both her and Gene back into reality and subsequently dragging Noll from his own dreams._

…..

Mai's piercing wail tore everyone from whatever dream they had been experiencing and were thrust forcefully back into reality. People in the adjacent rooms gasped before groaning, rolling over and pushing themselves out of bed. None of the adults were back yet so only the monk, miko and medium were disturbed.

"What happened?" Oliver shouted, shooting into a sitting position beside Mai just as the three other kids burst through the door.

"I-I don't know!" Gene cried, not knowing what to do.

"Do you know what might have caused it?" Houshou tried to ask, but was drowned out by Mai. Ayako and Masako were holding hands, watching the scene with scared eyes.

"They killed him! They killed him!" Mai screamed at the top of her lungs, tears flowing in thick streams down her face.

"Who? Who killed who?" Noll asked one hand pressed against her cheek and the other stroking her hair, trying to calm her.

She threw her arms around the boy. "The man on the floor! The people killed him!"

Everyone looked at Gene for help who's eyes were wide with unguarded shock. "Do you know what she's talking about?" Noll asked.

"I…I think she's talking about the dream I just had. A man was…" he swallowed hard, "A man was skinned alive and then dismembered in this house by what I assume were or are the owners. She must have…seen it." He looks away, his hand over his mouth, trying not to represent his dinner.

Houshou, Ayako and Masako gave audible gasps while Noll just gave him shocked eyes before moving his eyes slowly down to the still sobbing Mai. "We'll…we'll tell Sakura and Ayame about it. They should know how to handle a situation like this. For now, we'll just…" his voice trailed off, than his arms tightened around the little girl.

"…do the best we can," Gene and Houshou finished for him, rubbing Mai's back soothingly.

"Let's hope we're enough," Noll murmured. For some reason seeing the girl in such a state made him want to hurt whatever had caused it. For now, he just wanted to comfort her even though he knew he sucked at that.

The three still standing moved closer to the bed, patting and rubbing Mai's hair and back. They stayed like that for so long that when the adults finally returned they found six soundly sleeping children all curled up on the bed in a big puppy pile, Mai and Noll in the middle still holding each other.

**Hope you liked this chapter. I certainly did. I thought the little fluff for the slowly growing group was cute enough to sate you guys for a while. Review and tell me what you'd like to see!**


	3. Chapter 3: Playtime

**I don't really have much to say today so…hope you like this chapter. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt**

Chapter 3: Playtime

"You told who to come?" Noll and Gene yelled in unison with varying degrees of emotion. Gene exuberant and Oliver, to plainly put it, pissed.

"Lin and Madoka. They'll be here around noon along with another pair that Mr. Kumohira has called in. This time it's supposed to be a priest and his trainee," Luella said with a bright smile.

Noll groaned loudly, rolling his eyes and turning towards the window. Gene grinned inwardly at his twin's refusal to be chaperoned around the house. Mai was grinning widely. "**More **friends?" she asked excitedly.

"Yep," Sakura said lightly, grinning down at her daughter. She straightened the hair band placed on Mai's head before kissing her cheek.

"Not more men!" Ayame cried, falling to his knees in front of Mai. He took her in his arms, fake crying into her shoulder.

Oliver looked at him with irritated eyes. Slowly, he closed the book he held and jumped down from his position on the window sill. "Let go of her," Noll said, pulling at Mai's hand.

Ayame looked over Mai's shoulder at the small black haired boy. He opened his mouth to retaliate at the boy when Mai squealed.

"Yeah, let me go Daddy! You're crushing me!" she shouted, pushing at her father with both her hands and feet. Noll caught her once she had succeeded in pushing away from her father's constricting arms. "I wanna go explore!" she exclaimed, hugging Oliver's waist.

"That wasn't complete ADD," Gene muttered, looking sideways at nothing in particular.

"Can we Mommy?" Mai asked Sakura.

"Weeeell, what do you think Luella?" she asked the other woman since her husband was still sobbing on the floor.

"Mm, I guess, but you have to stay together at all times," she said, directing the last bit at her two sons.

"Okay," the three children chimed, making their way out of the room.

…..

"That flight was so long," Madoka griped, rolling her shoulders as the car turned onto a side road.

Lin nodded in agreement, massaging his own shoulders. "And then we have to babysit two troublemaking twins and one with a very short temper," he added, groaning inwardly.

"Yeah," Madoka sighed. It was quiet in the car until she gasped remembering something. "Luella tells me that Noll had gotten quite attached to a little girl there and vice versa so we'll be babysitting her as well, but I'll bet he'll be more behaved. We're also supposed to be stopping by a church to pick up two more participants."

Lin groaned again. "How many groups is that now? 8 or 9? The problem better be really big if we're going to be playing babysitter to more than three kids. Is the priest bringing anyone?"

"Yes, his eight-year-old trainee. He's supposed to become an exorcist and priest or something of the sort," she rattled off, her finger on the side of her mouth as she thought through the information Luella had given her.

"Great, another brat. Just what we needed. Oh wait, I mean what I needed," Lin grumbled, glowering at the passing trees.

"Oh, it can't be that bad! I'll bet that little one Noll is attached to will be so cute and sweet!" Madoka cried with an added squeal at the prospect that had Lin attempting to regain his hearing. Enclosed spaces and Madoka just don't mix.

"I'm sure she will be," Lin said dryly, watching the scenery pass outside the window. What would he have to do to get just one day off from his life as a nanny? Was he fated to watch over little kids for the rest of his natural life? He hoped to god not.

…..

***with our cute little trio***

Mai and Noll sneezed at the same time. They rubbed their noses vigorously in the same fashion making Gene burst into laughter. "Someone is talking about you guys!" he taunted in a sing song voice, dancing around the pair.

Oliver drew himself up to his full three feet something inches and said haughtily, "Of course they are. Everyone loves me."

"Narcissist!" Gene and Mai shouted together grinning and laughing with Mai also singing, "Naru the Narcissist! Naru the Narcissist!"

"Like you're not?" he asked with a devious grin. He unexpectedly tackled Gene to the ground and Mai jumped on his back.

"Doggie pile! Doggie pile!" she shouted with a wide grin.

"Mai, you're crushing us!" the twins shouted together while still laughing.

"Oh, so the brats can laugh and play. That's surprising," Ayako said as Houshou, Masako and she walked down the hall towards them.

"Only when we're not around stupid teens like you," Gene and Noll said in unison with identical voices, posture and smiles.

Houshou shivered. "That's one thing I hate about twins. It's so creepy how you can't tell them apart," he said, shaking his head.

"I can tell them apart," Mai chirped, looking up at the blonde headed teen.

"No you can't," he objected, glaring down at the little girl who was standing her ground and glaring back at him. He resisted the urge to back down from the glare. Why did such a little package hold so much fury? Geez.

"Yes I can!" she contradicted, taking a step towards him.

The twins scowled at the teen. "Well, even this conversation is so invigorating," Noll said sarcastically, "we have business to attend to."

"That's Naru," Houshou muttered under his breathe darkly.

The trio circled around the others and started making their way to a large room followed by the second trio. Pushing the doors open, they found themselves standing in the same study that the man had been murdered in. Mai went rigid, her hand becoming vice-like around Naru's.

"Mai, what's the…" Naru began to ask, but the voice of a boy caught their attention.

"You're the Davis twins and the Taniyama girl right?" the voice asked.

They turned to find a boy of about Naru and Gene's age staring at them curiously. He had darkish-grey hair, like wet ash, and similarly colored eyes.

Mai nodded her head.

The boy grinned. "That's so cool. You probably don't know me so my name is Ossamu Yasuhara. Nice to meet you," the boy said with a smile, holding out his hand.

They each grasped it in turn, returning the sentiment. Last to go out of all six kids was Mai. When she grasped his hand, she didn't let go. Again, she went rigid. Her eyes followed the length of his arm up and up until she met confused ash grey eyes. She stared into them, searching. Suddenly, loathing flashed through them turning them a pale brown.

"You're going to help them get rid of me. I hate you. I hate you. Kill. Kill," an icy voice that sounded like the man's from her dream whispered darkly in her ear.

In a second Mai was screaming and crying.

"Mai!" everyone shouted, rushing to the girl's side.

"What's going on in here?" Lin's voice yelled as Madoka and he ran through the doorway followed by a small blonde boy.

**Hope you liked this chapter. Review and tell me how it was please :D**


	4. Chapter 4: Failed Exorcism

**I am so so so so so so soooooooooooo very sorry for my lateness. I hope you can forgive me *bows deeply* This story is almost at its end I'm sad to say. Only about three more chappies left. Anyway, here you go!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt**

Chapter 4: Failed Exorcism

"Masako, would you like to take a crack at contacting the spirit?" Hideki, her father, asked once they had calmed Mai down and settled into the Davis' base.

Masako nodded her head. "I would like to try a séance," Lin interjected, "It may make it easier for her to contact the spirit."

"I'd like to try an exorcism," Ayako and Monk said loudly while John said it timidly. He was seated on a small couch with Ossamu.

"Woah, hold on. Everybody, hold your horses for a second," Ayame said, standing in the middle of the room, "First off, Yasu do you know why Mai reacted to you the way she did? Screaming, I mean."

Everyone looked at the girl who was nestled securely into Naru's/Noll's side, dozing off. Yasu shook his head. "No, I don't. I nearly peed my pants when she started screaming," he told everyone.

"Way to much information," Houshou said, rubbing his eyes with his fingers. Yasu just smiled wickedly at him.

Sakura glared over her should at the two boys as she crouched in front of her little girl. "Mai, darling, why did you scream?" she asked sweetly.

"The ghost…in Yasu," she mumbled before falling asleep completely.

All eyes turned to the ash haired boy now. "So, that means he's possessed," Monk said, scooting further away from the possessed boy.

"Looks like it," Sakura said, watching the boy closely who paled under her intense gaze.

"We should try to exorcise him tonight," Gene commented, leaning against his brother and the girl.

"Yes, the sooner the better, but every time we try to exorcise him the spirit just jumps to another host in the family," Martin said. The entire group startled. They'd completely forgotten that he was there.

"That's were our lovely little Lin come in. How'd you like to trap the spirit once it's ejected from Yasu for us?" Luella asked, smiling at him.

Lin rolled his eyes. "Do I really have a choice in the matter?" he asked.

"No," she chirped and then began laughing hysterically as his face went tomato red from what Madoka decided to say.

"You know Luella, I think you got it all wrong. Nothing, I mean nothing about Lin is little," she said, a sly grin spreading across her face at the reaction she managed to coaxed out of her best friend.

Luella and Sakura grinned. "Is there something you guys need to tell us?" they said in sing-song voices.

"No!" Lin shouted, his face growing redder.

"No sexual references in the presence of the children please," Martin said with a sigh. Now it was his turn to rub his eyes. Sakura and Luella snapped their fingers.

"I'll be glad to do it, just stop talking about it!" Lin cried almost desperate to change the subject.

Luella grinned at the teen. "Good, no that that's settled, I think the adults have the right to go play a game," she said, grinning wickedly.

"I accept!" all of the other parents cried, jumping from their chairs or their positions against the walls.

"Yeah, a drinking game," Lin muttered under his breath.

"Of course! What other type of game would adults play?" Sakura and Luella called in unison, their arms slung around each other's waist.

"I wanna play!" Madoka shouted, jumping up from her chair with a giggle dislodge Lin from his own seat in the process.

"Sorry girly, you've got to watch the munchkins. Maybe next time when you're older," Hideki said with a smile, stepping out of the room first.

"Be good kids!" Ayame shouted and they were gone.

Lin glared at the door before sighing exasperatedly. His blush just starting to fade. "I'm left to babysit a bunch of brats while they go drinking. That seems _so very fair_."

"Hey! We're not brats!" Ayako shouted, indicating Houshou and herself.

"To me you are," he said dryly.

"Why? How old are you?" Houshou asked.

"Madoka and I are both sixteen. You are thirteen and she's eleven. That makes you two brats," Lin told him matter-of-factly.

Houshou pressed his lips tightly together so that only a thin line of skin was visible. Ayako's mouth dropped open. "You can't be serious!" she shouted.

"Oh, he's completely cereal," Madoka told them seriously.

A muscle in Naru's jaw twitched in irritation. Slowly, he got up and glared at the room's occupants. "Shut up before I make you," he snarled menacingly. It was quiet, but that made it even colder than it would have been loud.

They all shrunk in on themselves except for Lin and Madoka who were used to it. The other's attempt to make themselves smaller did nothing to deflect the death glare. 'If looks could kill' definitely fit this little boy perfectly.

…..

"Mai, Noll, Gene, go stand against the wall by Madoka," Sakura directed, pointing to the spot.

They were all gathered in the large study dressed in the formal exorcising attire. In the middle, a quavering Yasu waited, trying to make himself look brave by standing straight and tall. The mentors of John, Monk and Ayako, and the other 'spiritualists' stood against once wall while on the wall diagonal to it stood the parents. They were all tapping their feet agitatedly. The kids not exorcising stood against the wall in the middle of the two walls.

"Alright Ayako, begin whenever you want," Sakura said, pressing the record button on a camera.

She nodded, took a deep breath and began her prayer. It wasn't long before Yasu collapsed to his knees from the weight of a black mist over him. That was Lin's cue to jump in. His high pitched whistle split the air. Mai watched as five white orbs flitted around Yasu to encase the writhing spirit. It had begun to scream even before it had completely formed.

"No! I will have a body!" it screeched.

Now it was John and Houshou's turn. They stepped up on either side of Ayako, chanting and praying. The senseless screeching, the chanting, the praying, the whistling, it all continued until there was only a dull roar in everyone's ears. Then silence.

Lin sighed and dismissed his shiki. They didn't leave, still agitated by something the others couldn't perceive.

The space above Yasu burst into burning black flames. The flames roared, throwing everyone against the walls. "I will have my revenge and a body!" it screamed before flitting out the window, disappearing around the side of the house.

"That was a good try kids. You did better than us at least," Luella gasped, pushing herself back up the wall, gasping. The other 'spiritualist' scoffed and retreated quickly from the room with horrified expressions.

The compliment fell on deaf ears because every single child and teenager and preteen were knocked out cold. They lay on the floor in a pile except for Yasu who was incidentally still in the middle of the floor.

"Would I be a bad parent if I laughed at the way they ended up?" Sakura asked, watching the pile.

"No?" Ayame, Hideki and Martin all said together, making it more of a question then a straight answer. This made the whole group of adults burst out laughing.

"Alright, let's get them to bed," Sakura said, taking command of the situation. She went over and easily picked up Mai, Naru and Gene.

Luella laughed a bit more before dragging Madoka to her feet. Martin pulled Lin to his feet. Ayame picked Yasu up. Hideki got Masako. Ayako and Monk were picked up by their mentors. John's mentor, the last of the bunch, bent and lifted his little body into his arms.

"Let's just stick them all in the bedroom again. They'll all fit on the queen in our room," Sakura suggested as they made their way down the hall.

"Alright," came from around the group.

Sakura nudged the bedroom door open with the toe of her shoe, crossing the room in several long strides. She deposited the three children at the head of the bed. John was set next to them followed by Yasu Masako. Following them were the three teens and the preteen. None of them woke up until the next morning when Ayako woke everyone with a shriek.

**There you have it, chapter 4. Sorry again for my very lateness. Hope you enjoyed and review please :D**


	5. Chapter 5: Compromising Position

**I am so very sorry for the extremely late update. I will allow you guys to string me up by my toes if it'll earn me forgiveness xD anyway, here's the next chapter. I think the next with be the last of the case and then I'll have an epilogue.**

**Enjoy the chapter! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Ghost Hunt**

Chapter 5: Compromised Position

Once again, Mai wandered through the black void. To her it seemed blacker than usual. It was inky and almost had substance to it. Out of the corner of her eye she could see it flexing and fluctuating restlessly.

She didn't have to wait long for the inky darkness to swirl together. The room, grainy and scratchy, filled in around her. In the middle stood a teenage girl. Behind her, the man watched and waited for the moment to pounce.

"Body, I want a body to take my revenge," he whispered to himself floating ever closer to the girl. When she didn't leave, the man made his move.

He was dragged into the girl with a sigh. The girl's eyes went from crystalline blue to a muddy brown. Her hands flexed at her sides. "Yes, this body will be perfect," the girl said, but Mai could hear the underlying malice in her voice that could only belong to the deceased man.

The room melted away only to come back once more with an added addition. A man stood in front of the teenager now his face contorted in anger. "Why must you act this way? You've been strange ever since we got rid of that man. Aren't you happy?" he shouted at her.

She stared at the floor. Her hair flopped in front of her face so that the man couldn't see her cynical grin. "Of course not. Where's my body?" she asked quietly, the grin widening.

"What? Where's your what? What the fuck are you talking about?" the man yelled, grabbing the girl's shoulder in a vice-like grip.

"Where. Is. My. Body?" she asked slowly, lifting her head to display the murderous Cheshire grin. A long, leering knife appeared behind the girl supported by her hand.

The man's eyes widened. He only had a moment to contemplate the flash of the blade before his agonized scream rent the night in two.

…..

A scream from reality mingled with the man's, dragging Mai from her nightmare. Mai shot up in bed between Naru and Gene breathing hard. The scream that had woken everyone in the bed came from the red-headed tween whose face was as red as her face.

"Holy balls Ayako, calm the hell down," Houshou shouted over her shriek, covering his ears as he was the one feeling the full force of the detrimental sound.

"Why the hell am I in the same bed as you? No, why am I in the same bed as all of you?" she shouted, scrambling around so much that she fell backward off the bed, crying out.

Houshou tried to grab her hand before she fell, but was just dragged down with her. They were in a very compromising position when the parents and mentors finally burst through the door. What is going on in here?" Ayame shouted sleepily as he slammed the door open.

All the adults stopped at the sight before them. Ayako and Houshou's faces were both beet red and only inches away from each other as they stared into each other's eyes. Ayako's back was pressed to the floor, her long legs still slightly slung on the bed. Houshou was above her staring down at her with wide chocolate brown eyes. His knees and hands were on either side of her body.

The rest of the children scuttled to the edge of the bed to look at them. The girls giggled down at them. The boys just raised an eyebrow at the two. Except for John who just blushed and looked away, and Yasu was flailing around with barely contained laughter.

Martin cleared his throat politely. "Is someone going to explain the screaming sometime soon?" he asked.

Houshou's and Ayako's heads jerked up. Their faces went redder than they already were if that was even possible. They flung themselves away from each other so fast that everyone was left blinking at the spot they had vacated for several moments.

"Hey, if you're going to do the naughty, don't do it with little eyes and ears in the room," Sakura and Luella said together with devilish grins spreading slowly across their faces. They had found something brand new to tease.

"We weren't doing…it!" they shouted together staring horrified at the two women who were now devising their latest scheme.

"That's not what it looked like to us," they said in a sing-song voice.

"Well you're wrong!" the two kids still shouted together not helping their case in the least. Their mentors shook their heads reproachfully at the two kids.

"The explanation please," Martin said calmly rubbing his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. Hideki and Ayame were falling asleep against the wall along with John's mentor.

"We don't know too much. We were all sleeping soundly when suddenly Ayako started screaming her bloody head off. Then she fell off the bed, Takigawa-san tried to grab her and got dragged down as well," Gene explained with a bit of annoyance.

All eyes turned to the young red-headed tween who had herself pressed against the far wall. "What?" she cried feeling uncomfortable with all the attention she was receiving, "You would scream too if you suddenly woke up nose to nose with a guy!"

"I didn't scream," Madoka pointed out with a smirk.

"Nor did we," Luella and Sakura stated, popping their heads up from their plotting.

Ayako's faces turned ten shades darker than even her hair. "Fine! A guy that you don't really know!" she elaborated.

"Or like," the two mothers muttered under their breath.

"I do not like that thing!" Ayako cried, her voice jumping up an octave as she attempted, and failed, to defend herself.

Mai was lost in her own world. She was sorting through her dream trying to come up with a reason to why she would have had such a dream. Did it mean something? Did it have information that they needed? Or was it just a random dream?

Of course it wasn't the last one. Her dreams always meant something. Then it hit her. Her head snapped up and stared into Naru's deep navy blue eyes. "I know why the ghost is haunting this family," she whispered.

Naru's eyes widened as he processed this information. "You do?" he asked incredulously.

She nodded vigorously. She shot to her feet and announced to the room, "I know what the ghost wants."

**Hope you liked this chapter! I had so much fun writing it. I can honestly see that happening to Monk and Ayako, being klutzy teens and all. I'm sure they weren't as "well-groomed" as kids as they are as adults. Haha, anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Review please! See you next time :D**


	6. Chapter 6: Beloved

**Sorry to say this, but this is the last chapter. There will not be another chapter. I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I did. Enjoy :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt**

Chapter 6: Beloved

"What?" several people cried some asking how she knew and others asking what the ghost wanted. On the last one she was more than happy to oblige. She wanted this case to be over and done with as much as the next person.

"He wants his body most of all," she told them.

"You said 'most of all'. What else does it want?" Naru questioned eyeing the young girl with non-feigned curiosity.

Mai hesitated. Was it okay to tell them? She didn't want to, but the way Naru was watching her with that imploring gaze propelled her forward. "He…he also wants revenge. Revenge on the family that murdered him," she whispered.

"His body and revenge. Well, at least we can give him one thing," Ayame said, biting his lip as his mind processed this new information.

"What's that?" Ayako asked dumbly.

"His body," Sakura said, heading for the door.

…..

"Mai, be honest with us, are we wasting our time searching the house?" Houshou asked listlessly. They had spent several hours searching for the man's body. Now rain poured outside, only the chime of the clock signaling that it was noon.

Mai scuttled out from a hidden crawl space coughing as Naru brushed dust and cobwebs from her. "I don't know," she said truthfully, "I feel like something in the house is important, but something outside…" Her voice fell away and her eyes glazed over as she gazed out a window.

With fingers more graceful than her own, she unlatched the window. Before anyone knew what she was doing she vaulted out the window and ran towards the woods. Everything about her actions suggested experience and years of living that she did not possess.

"Mai!" everyone screamed after her, the most prominent of them being the voice of a black haired twin giving chase to the girl.

She was fast, but his time running about as an orphan had given him the running skills of a track star. He chased after her with all his tiny might, almost colliding with her when she skidded to an abrupt halt in front of an obviously unmarked grave.

Mai stared down into the shallow grave full of muddy water. Bleached bones bobbed up to the surface. A putrid smell, sickly sweet like rotting flesh, emanated from the puddle.

…..

She was disoriented. One minute she was standing in her group staring out a window into rainy forest and the next minute she was thrust into the usual black void. It was less than a second after the sudden rejection of reality that she was back in the study.

The girl was there too standing to one side of the door. She shook with terror, shaking her head vigorously. "No, I don't want to. You can't make me!" she cried at the blood splattered adults clutching her hands close to her chest.

"We can and we will," the man who had decided the verdict told her sternly, "You will dispose of the body in the woods. Be grateful that we have already put the carcass in a bag. Bring the bag back. We will wash up before the guests arrive. You **will **do this." The man's eyes flashed dangerously, promising pain if it was disobeyed.

The girl shrank in on herself before dropping her head. "Yes, sir," she whispered refusing to meet his eyes. Tears trickled silently down her face as the group left with alone with the carcass.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," she whispered sliding down the wall and burying her face in her knees, "Why? Why did they have to do this to you?"

The man was suddenly there standing beside the girl. He was wallowing in sorrow just like the girl. He knelt down next to her wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "I love you and always will," he whispered in her ear.

It was like the breeze to the girl, but she answered it. "I love you too. I love you too," she sobbed before dragging herself to her feet and picking up the bag. She left through the window being careful that the bag did not hit anything.

Mai followed her closely. It was raining then too, pouring really. Sheets of rain came down as Mai watched the girl run and run until she found an old, beautiful tree deep in the forest. There she dug a shallow grave and lovingly placed the body on her love one carefully into it. She scooped the mud gently back over the body.

"I will never forget you. Never. I will always love you," she whispered over the grave before sprinting back to the house.

…..

"Mai?" Naru asked trying not to gag as he gently touched the girl's shoulder. Trying to rouse her, he gave her a slight shake.

The hot tears streamed down her face as she turned towards him. "Th-they m-made her bury him. S-she didn't want to. S-she l-loves him. Why would th-they d-do that? W-why would they k-kill him for l-loving her?" she hiccupped her voice cracking and losing all of the maturity it had held throughout the case and reverted back to the six-year-old she truly was.

The rest of the group, which consisted of only the teens, tween and kids, caught up to them to find Naru cradling Mai against his chest far away from the pool of horrid smelling liquid. All the girls gagged and backed away as quickly from the pool as they went to investigate.

"We need all of those bones. We have to take them back to the house. Then this case will be over," they heard Naru say. He passed Mai over to the girls and got to work fishing out the bones.

It took them two hours to collect all the bones. The parents were frantic with worry when all the children came trudging out of the forest. They were drenched and muddy, but they moved away from the parents and mentors to the study.

Without so much as a prompt, John, Houshou and Ayako began their exorcisms once the bones had been carefully piled in the middle of the room. There was no screaming, no shaking, no banging. The spirit was drawn to his bones like wings drawn to air.

"This is my…body?" he whispered staring down at the pile of bones.

"Yes," Mai whispered tentatively back.

The man looked over and smiled. "Thank you. Please tell Kiara that I'll always love her," he said. It was only when everyone had given a nod that they would that he finally let himself move on.

…..

"Now that you mention it, I do remember that case," Monk said thoughtfully, leaning back in his chair and taking a swig of beer.

"You're right. I'm beginning to remember it to," Ayako murmured, biting her knuckle in thought, "I think that was the most embarrassing case I'd ever been on, including that ones that I've been on as an adult."

"I know what you mean. Sakura and Luella were quite the team. I swear, they were nuts. And Naru…" Monk's voice trailed off as he shot a sly grin at Naru.

"What?" he asked, one arm wrapped around Mai where she rested against his chest and his other slung over the back of the couch with its own beer.

'You were such a sweet little thing when you were younger! You actually acted like a kid. What happened?" he asked, grinning at him.

"Sweet? No. Little? Yes," Yasu said taking a long drink out of the bottle of sake he had clutched in his hand.

November grinned at him. "By the sound of things you're in no position to criticize mister," she said snatching the bottle from his grasp.

"No, you can't Yasu. You acted exactly the same as you do now," Masako said a smile pulling up the corners of her mouth.

"So did Mai and I. None of us have really changed, not even Lin," John said. They all glanced at his office where they could see Madoka laughing her ass off. Lin just grinned triumphantly. What was she laughing about, they didn't want to know.

Mai giggled. "Oh, but we have changed John. You and I are aren't as innocent as we used to be."

Everyone gave a laugh.

"You're right. None of us are actually," Ayako said.

"You and Monk never were," Naru said coolly. Another round of laughter ran through the room.

The doorbell jingled as a gaggle of teens came through the door. "Oh god, the old people are drinking again," Jamie said causing the group of teens to laugh.

"Hey, you better watch it 'cause you still have to come home with us," Madoka said, standing with Lin behind the couch.

The group groaned comically, falling on each other.

"Hey, just look at it this way," Yasu said, "You'll be in the same position before too long."

"Yeah, and what exactly are you guys doing?" Gene and Noriko asked together. Twins will be twins.

The whole group of adults exchanged glances before answering in unison, "Just reliving old memories.

THE END


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